Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • Contact Us
  • Podcast
  • Newsletter
  • Fantasy Collecting Game
  • AMMpro

On Kawara Leaves Little Trace but Art and Prices

January 10, 2012 by Marion Maneker

It’s sure safe to say that Blake Gopnik, like most art critics, doesn’t think the art market is a great way to measure the importance of an artists work. We’d actually agree with that assessment. The market is voting machine; critics are meant to be concerned with weighing the meaning of an artist’s work. So it was a bit of a surprise—and disappointment—to see Gopnik justifying On Kawara’s stature as an artist by adducing his auction records as evidence:

Of the thousands of canvases Kawara has painted so far, 165 have just gone on view in the soaring spaces of David Zwirner Gallery in New York. The gallery says the exhibition’s works aren’t for sale, but Kawara’s auction record stands at close to $2 million, such is the size of his reputation. And here’s what this million-dollar artist leaves us as the daily record of his presence on this earth: a canvas, meticulously hand-painted by Kawara himself, that simply bears the date it was painted.

What’s fascinating about On Kawara is his unwillingness to make his personality part of the story which may explain Gopnik’s getting forced into using market terms to explain the artist’s presence. After all, there’s not much more available to the public than the works themselves and the trail of auction tallies.

On Kawara at David Zwirner, a Million-Dollar Enigma (The Daily Beast)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Is Banksy's Identity for Sale on Ebay?Is Banksy's Identity for Sale on Ebay?
  • Bacon Back Up On TopBacon Back Up On Top
  • Appreciating PicassoAppreciating Picasso
  • The Other $200 Million ArtistThe Other $200 Million Artist
  • Understanding the Warhol MarketUnderstanding the Warhol Market
  • Jawlensky Retests the MarketJawlensky Retests the Market
  • Print
  • Tweet

Filed Under: Artists, Featured

Advertise on Art Market Monitor with Nectar Ads

Top Posts

  • Tony Podesta's Secret Art Buying
  • Christie's $30m Rothko from 1954 for May
  • MoMA Gets an Ofili from Cohen; Bradford from Griffen; Hendricks from Dubin
  • Barney Ebsworth Dies at 83
  • What's Peter Halley's Market Telling Us?
  • Vernissage TV: Art Cologne 2018
  • Global Cities Are Aging as Young Get Priced Out
  • Podcast
  • Artelligence for April 19, 2018
  • About Us/ Contact


  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • Art Loans
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Advertise on Art Market Monitor